Last Man
Encyclopedia
The last man is a term used by the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche
in Thus Spoke Zarathustra
to describe the antithesis of the imagined superior being, the "Übermensch
", whose imminent appearance is heralded by Zarathustra. This 'Over Man' may be contrasted to a weak-willed individual, one who is tired of life, takes no risks, seeks only comfort and security: the last man.
Nietzsche saw that nothing great is possible for the Last Man, and it is Nietzsche's contention that Western civilization (Europe) is moving in the direction of the last man, an apathetic creature, who has no great passion or commitment, who is unable to dream, who merely earns his living and keeps warm.
One of Nietzsche's greatest fears was the creeping mediocrity brought about by democratic "freedom" and universal equality. If the "Übermensch" represented his ideal – the ideal of a being strong enough to create a new master morality, strong enough to live without the consolation of an egalitarian ethics, and strong enough to recognize and embrace the "eternal return" as the ultimate reality – then Nietzsche’s so called "last man" is the exact opposite.
The last man, Nietzsche predicted, would be one response to nihilism
. But the full implications of the death of God
had yet to unfold. As he said, "the event itself is far too great, too distant, too remote from the multitude's capacity for comprehension even for the tidings of it to be thought of as having arrived as yet."
Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche was a 19th-century German philosopher, poet, composer and classical philologist...
in Thus Spoke Zarathustra
Thus Spoke Zarathustra
Thus Spoke Zarathustra: A Book for All and None is a philosophical novel by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, composed in four parts between 1883 and 1885...
to describe the antithesis of the imagined superior being, the "Übermensch
Übermensch
The Übermensch is a concept in the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche. Nietzsche posited the Übermensch as a goal for humanity to set for itself in his 1883 book Thus Spoke Zarathustra ....
", whose imminent appearance is heralded by Zarathustra. This 'Over Man' may be contrasted to a weak-willed individual, one who is tired of life, takes no risks, seeks only comfort and security: the last man.
Nietzsche saw that nothing great is possible for the Last Man, and it is Nietzsche's contention that Western civilization (Europe) is moving in the direction of the last man, an apathetic creature, who has no great passion or commitment, who is unable to dream, who merely earns his living and keeps warm.
One of Nietzsche's greatest fears was the creeping mediocrity brought about by democratic "freedom" and universal equality. If the "Übermensch" represented his ideal – the ideal of a being strong enough to create a new master morality, strong enough to live without the consolation of an egalitarian ethics, and strong enough to recognize and embrace the "eternal return" as the ultimate reality – then Nietzsche’s so called "last man" is the exact opposite.
The last man, Nietzsche predicted, would be one response to nihilism
Nihilism
Nihilism is the philosophical doctrine suggesting the negation of one or more putatively meaningful aspects of life. Most commonly, nihilism is presented in the form of existential nihilism which argues that life is without objective meaning, purpose, or intrinsic value...
. But the full implications of the death of God
God is dead
"God is dead" is a widely-quoted statement by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. It first appears in The Gay Science , in sections 108 , 125 , and for a third time in section 343...
had yet to unfold. As he said, "the event itself is far too great, too distant, too remote from the multitude's capacity for comprehension even for the tidings of it to be thought of as having arrived as yet."